Snow - they’d never seen snow, nor had they met my brother Russell and his bride Patty. The fall semester being over, it was a good time to put Ái Nhân and Kiên in the back seat of the car and head north to Colorado.

The first 625 miles were pretty boring, but in Lubbock, the weather seemed out to get us. Refueling in heavy rain with a wind that seemed determined to blow the cold wet on me, we checked the radar and saw we could make Amarillo that night, albeit with rain the whole way. We checked into our motel, then went to eat in Cindy’s favorite dining spot - Waffle House.

Morning light showed only dark clouds, but as we were packing up the car, the first snowflakes fluttered down - much to Kiên’s delight. But by the time we got to Dalhart (almost into New Mexico), the snow was heavy and the roads very slippery. Lots of accidents.

A stop at Mickey D’s for a burger and wi-fi - and a chance to walk around in the snow - a chance taken, but soon followed by getting back inside for some warmth.

(Be sure to click on this and the other photos to see a larger size image.)

Radar showed the snow ended at Clayton, New Mexico - a fact confirmed by a traveler who’d just come through that road. Once past Clayton, it was clear until Colorado Springs. Going through the city, the snow started again - the long climb up Monument Hill in ever-increasing snow had me a bit worried, but we soon arrive safe and sound in LIttleton.Even with a nice blaze in the fireplace, Ái Nhân and Kiên felt a bit chilly. The Sriracha-flavored jerky helped a bit, though.

Way back in the late 50s, my parents moved to south Florida. They loved living there, but I remember them both saying they missed the four seasons. Because I had teenage dementia, I didn’t understand. Today, I live in deep south Texas, and I too miss the four seasons. Most of the time we spent in Colorado were bright shiny days, perfect for a nice walk alongside the frozen creek. The daily walks gave me a chance to reflect on how very blessed my life has been.

Christmas morning broke late - (there weren’t any kids in the house) - but we couldn’t start opening gifts until we had a mimosa under our belts.

And, of course, we had to have something to eat with those mimosa, eh? Some fresh-baked cranberry bread is perfect on a nippy Christmas morning.

Lots of ooohs and aaaahs as wrapping paper was torn away, but Ba Cindy got kinda of misty-eyed at this gift from Ái Nhân and Kiên.

There was a punster named Patty who decided to give a pair of multi-colored socks to Ái Nhân with the brand name of Hue - which, of course, is Ái Nhân’s home town. Good one, Patty.

And, Aunt Patty, doing her Michael Jackson impersonation with one glove, had her new toy to play with.

It was good to see Kiên loosen up a bit - he got a bit playful with the spoons he received.

Even Rufus got into the act - he was right in the midst of things.

But there were only so many gifts to open - one can eat only so much Christmassy food - one can take only so many naps - before the boredom sets in. With a little help from Russell, Ái Nhân spent over twelve hours working on this puzzle of an English castle.

But the picture I didn’t take may have been the best one - the picture of all of us around the table, holding hands and thanking God for the gift of His son. It was a great Christmas - great indeed.

I remember when my parents moved to Florida back in 1959. I was just starting high school, and I remember them saying they were happy to move to Florida, but they missed the seasons. I thought they were a little loopy. Who needs seasons when it is warm year round?

But now I know what they meant. There is little difference in the seasons on south Texas - it merely goes from warm to hot, but that's about it. Now that I am spending a few Christmas days with my brother and his wife in Colorado, I appreciate the beauty of a nice winter day.

My walk took me down a small trail next to a creek. No wind and the sky so blue it was sharp to the eyes. The snow crunched under my shoes as I puffed on my cigar.

Weather - always a thought in the winter. The drive from home up through the Hill Country of central Texas was the usual, but then we ran into rain - heavy rain - as we approached Lubbock from the south. Though I liked the price of gas at $2.79, I didn't like the blustery wind blowing cold rain on my back side while I was refueling. We had a chance to fire up the smartphone and see it was just rain all the way to Amarillo, so Cindy made motel reservations while I drove - and Ai Nhan and Kien stayed bored in the back seat.

And Amarillo delivered. Ai Nhan and Kien saw their first snow, even though it wasn't much at first. Packing up the car, a few flurries settled on Kien.

With a bit of apprehension, we went back on the road - the weather web sites showed we wouldn't have far to go before we outran the snow. Actually, I can handle snow - it's ice that kinda feaks me. As we went northward through the panhandle, the snow got heavy and then even heavier. As we appraoched Dalhart, I discovered ice under the snow. Hmmm - time to reasses the situation, so we pulled into a Mickey D's in Dalhart to grab a burger and use the wi-fi. Besides the radar, a fellow traveler told us she had just come through the area we were going to travel. Seems that if we could put up with another thirty minutes of snowy driving, we would find clear weather in Clayton, NM. We were glad to leave the snow behind.

Ah, New Mexico, we miss you. As we prattled on about the glories of the Land of Enchantment, it did not disappoint as we pointed out herds of pronghorn, explained a mesa and saw the looming Rocky mountains in the distance.

When Ai Nhan asked me if we would see bad weather again, I said no, but we ran into snow again at Colorado Springs and had it all the way in to Russell and Patty's.

On my little motorcycle venture, I was more than irritated that my laptop refused to read my camera's memory cards - and I had tried before to post to this blog from an my iPad, only to find it didn't work. Now that I have found an app, I'll try the iPad again when traveling. Its much better on a bike because it is smaller and lighter.

But right now, I'm not on a motorcycle. Ai Nhan and Kien are with us in the car on the way to Colorado for Christmas with Russell and Patty. We're in Amarillo, and we may be stuck here awhile as the snow is coming in and the temps are at freezing. Its the coldest Kien has ever been. He was a bit awestruck when I broke off an icicle and handed it to him.

When you’re dumb enough to plan a 4,000 mile ride in early December, you have to expect some changes to your itinerary, even if you start out in deep south Texas.

(Be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version.)

Most of the ride was along the rim of the Gulf of Mexico, as I wanted to see an old friend in Miami. When I say “old”, I mean we hadn’t seen each other in 48 years! I also dropped by my son’s home in Orlando to spend some time with him and his family, but the rest of the trip was to go to Gainesville, GA, which is up in the northern mountains, then on to Nashville. I got as far as Gainesville to see two other old friends, but the weather forecast was iffy to go to Nashville. I called my nephew Paul (also a rider) and expressed my apologies, then headed straight south from Gainesville. Good decision - Nashville had two inches of snow.

I’ve ridden the back way to Houston many times, enjoying the scenery on the coast. Though I’ve been in the seacoast town of Palacios before (and explored how the Vietnamese settled in the area), I found this photo by accident. By the way - the locals pronounce it “Pal ahshus.”

Best day of the thirteen day ride? The segment from Houston to New Orleans. After dinner with my daughter Trang, I headed out of Houston the next morning to Galveston, and took the ferry over to the Bolivar Peninsula. Pretty day - warm, with a nice breeze - perfect day to stay on the byways, ride through smalls towns and cross the Sabine River into Louisiana, ride another ferry near Cameron and continue along the Creole Nature Trail. Its an interesting mix of little shrimper villages and petrochemical plants, with oil rigs on the horizon out in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Orleans was great in that I made a new friend - and I wish Ken Bopp lived closer. We enjoyed dinner together so much that we decided to share breakfast the next day, before I headed on. Thanx for the great conversation, Ken.

After fighting the horrendous New Orleans traffic, I took the old way into Mississippi. Nice views - I can see why people would want to live here.

The hardest day? From Statesboro, Georgia, up through South Carolina (so I could add another state to my rider’s map of states I’ve ridden in), then back into Georgia to Gainesville. It rained all the time and the temperatures were in the 40s. Wish I could have ridden those roads in the sunshine - it seemed like pretty country.

The most boring day? The day after I changed my route from Nashville and went south. I rode the Super Slab (which I seldom do) from Marianna, Florida, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Except for getting caught in a 1 ½ hour traffic jam caused by a bad accident, it was a day for the motocycle’s pistons to go up and down a lot - not much else happened.

What was the best part of the trip? Hard to say. I truly enjoyed the five hours I spent with my old friend Jim. You see, his circumstances are unusual as he is in prison in Miami. I found it was possible to laugh while inside a prison. It was a bit amazing that we had no trouble finding things to talk about after all those years. Thanx for the renewal of an old friendship, Jim.

While in Miami, I went by the old family homestead in Hialeah. If it hadn’t been for the cement leading up to what used to be a car port, I doubt I would have recognized it.

As always, I enjoy time with my son. We always like to escape onto the balcony, smoke cigars, drink good whiskey and solve the problems of the world. Though my visit was shortened by a family tragedy, I had one night with Keith - just the two of us to talk.

And, it was great to see Jeff and Corky, two good friends I knew from my law enforcement days. They were in different agencies and had never met before - yet they live about ten minutes from each other. A lot of “war stories” (and probably a few fibs) were told, but we had a great reunion.

Finally, there was a lot of nostalgia as I wandered the much-changed campus of my alma mater, Florida Southern College. Of course there was change - what did I expect? I hadn’t been there in over thirty years.

I also had a chance to cruise the old neighborhoods in and around Brunswick, GA, where we lived in the late 70s and early 80s. Our old home hasn’t changed all that much except for the trees having grown and a new fence added.

The extremes? It was 86 degrees in Miami and I got a bit sweaty trying to punch through the traffic. It was colder than a mother-in-law’s heart at 36 degrees when I set out in the fog from Statesboro, Georgia. I found several eateries that I really enjoyed, including Zydeco’s in Luling (New Orleans) and thanx to my Goldwing rider friend Ken Bopp for taking me there. JB’s German Bakery in Corpus Christi, Texas, has pastries to die for, and breakfast at Shy Katz in Galveston is a must. Of course, I also put up with the usual fast food stuff at the usual hamburger joints.

The bike just sang for me the whole trip, but I could have been nicer to her. By the time I took the ferry back to Galveston, she was one dirty motorcycle. I owe you a wash, good and faithful steed.

What was the worst part of the trip? Having it end. I was happy to see my bride again, the home fires beckoned, and I was anxious to see my other daughter, Ái Nhân.

Yet the last hours of this trip were spent planning the next long ride.

Time to put some miles on the not-so-new bike. Tomorrow morning, my Honda NT700 and I will keep each company on a ride to Miami to see an old friend. In fact, Jim and I haven't seen each other in 48 years - the month of May, 1965, when we both left Florida Southern College.

My route will take me to Houston for the first night (where I'll have dinner with Trang), then Monday, take the ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula and continue on across into Louisiana and on to New Orleans, where I'll have breakfast with Ken, a man who served at the same hospital as Cindy way back when during the war in Vietnam. Keeping off the super slab, Tuesday will take me to Crawfordville, FL, then Wednesday on to Keith and Misty's in Orlando, but going through Lakeland for a stroll across the campus of Florida Southern. By Friday morning, they should be tired of me, and I'll boogie on to Miami and spend the night before seeing Jim Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon, a quick ride back to Orlando for the night, then Sunday on up to Statesboro, GA, but time enough for a quick ride through the old neighborhood in Brunswick, GA. Monday takes me to Gainesville, GA, the home of another old friend, but I'll take a small hunk of South Carolina (to add to my "states ridden" map." I'll get two old friends for the prcie of one - Jeff and Corky are two folks I worked with a long time ago. Tuesday, back on the road, through the far southwest corner of North Carolina, then on to Nashville to visit my nephew Paul and his family. That ends the visits as the next day is Pine Bluff, AR, then Houston ( and dinner again with Trang, then on home by Friday.

I'm geared up for some cold weather, the bike has fresh oil and a check-over from the shop, and I am more than ready for my first long trip on this bike.

My rationale is this: I was riding the Burgman scooter past its design limits on the trip to Las Vegas. Therefore, I needed a new machine. Ergo, I signed the papers on a new Honda NT700 motorcycle at a dealership in Dallas, and rode it home.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

And yes - though it is a 2010 model year, it is new. Honda still makes the bike, but stopped importing them to the US in 2011 after only two years of trying to sell them here. I literally bought it at cost.

The
weather front was due to come through Kerrville the early morning, so when the
lighting flash awakened me at 5:30, that was fine with me. Breakfast at
six while I watched the rain and packed up. By the time I loaded the
bike, the rain had stopped. Leaving Kerrville, there was no wind but
the temperature was dropping.

The
wind came in ten minutes - sharp and from the north. But the Texas
Hill Country is a motorcyclist's dream - lots of twisties and
whopp-dee-dos. The winding ranch roads I took were great - little
streams, old houses, sheep grazing.

(As always, be sure to click on the photo to see a larger version.)

Then
the land flattens out into an area mostly level, but dotted with mesas
and buttes. There are lots of ranches, but cowboy country has a new
industry - wind farms, generating electricity. The West Texas wind is
constant.

Went through London.

The
temperatures were in the high 40s, but it was the 35-40 mph wind that
made me cold. "Hey Doug - there's always wind on a moving
motorcycle." True, but my scooter has a lot of protection - windscreen,
fairing, even protection for the legs and feet. But the wind was from
the north, and I was often traveling west. The cross wind frosted my
right side a bit, necessitating a few stops for hot chocolate. The wind
also ruined my gas mileage. I usually run about 60-62 miles per
gallon, but the stiff wind cut that to 52. One tank was a
never-before-seen 48 mpg. Ugh! That's the kind a mileage a Harley
gets.

Eventually
I moved out onto the plains - not a mesa in sight - just lots of farm
land irrigated with water from an aquifer. The land is incredibly flat.
One town is known as Levelland.

As
I was leaving Texas, the wind began to drop. The sun warmed me up a
little and I began to look forward to the end of the day's ride. There
was no sign welcoming me to New Mexico, but I knew it without any sign.
The wide two-lane Texas country road with the broad shoulders gave way
to a narrow road with no shoulders - and was very bumpy.

But I was in New Mexico and I celebrated with a bowl of green chile stew.

I've made the trip from the Houston/Galveston area before - there's no sense in boring the reader with all that. Besides the fact that temperatures were well into the 90s and I ran into a stiff wind all day, the last leg of the trip was unremarkable.

But the whole trip - the entire 3,085 mile trip - was fabulous! I enjoyed every single minute of it - even the rain-soaked days, the times I was on the Interstate, the times when I got lost, the times when I was flipping up my helmet to sneeze. All of that was enjoyable.

Why did I enjoy it?

My answer is similar to that of the mountain climber - a variation on "Because its there." It was challenging and I found that I had set a challenge for myself that I could meet.

For me, a large part of the quality of life is determined by taking risks - calculated risk. Different people may calculate their risks differently, and I am not just talking about physical risk. Going to live in Việt Nam is an example. There was no physical risk involved - Việt Nam is a very safe place to live. But, living there meant I had to retire early and that incurred financial risks. As any investor knows, the greater the risk, the better the potential payoff. The "investment" in going to Việt Nam has paid off handsomely for Cindy and me. Our reward is to have these wonderful Vietnamese kids in our lives.

Risk keeps you sharp. If you are trying to mitigate the possible harm from taking a risk, you must think and plan and work. I like that. My terror lies in becoming a TV vegetable, rendered incapable of thinking or doing, but only sitting in front of the television. I truly believe God gave each of us something important to do with our lives, and if we are afraid to take risks, we are afraid to accomplish what we are called to do.

If you are familiar with real Christianity, you know it requires the follower to take what is perceived as a huge risk - you are asked to trust God. Yes - I am aware that combining motorcycle riding with Christianity is a bit strange, but the connection is that to do either requires taking risks.

Riding long distances on two wheels satisfies the need to take risks. To be honest, there is little physical risk. Ask any motorcyclist - riding city streets is much more dangerous than riding highways. But, being out in the weather is invigorating, as is the view. You see things from a bike that you don’t see from a car.

I don’t have a music system on my bike - and that is on purpose. Being a bit of a loner, I enjoy the time to have conversations with myself - to think about things - to ponder - to be introspective. Maybe I could have been a monk, except I’m not crazy about the celibacy thing.

Most riders are surprised I took such a long trip on such a small bike. Yeah - 400cc is kinda small, and while I can cruise comfortably at 65-70 mph, there were a few times when I would have liked to have a few more ponies under me.

Will I do it again? Oh yeah - I have some ideas rattling around in my head.